As 2012 comes to close we want to thank all of our friends and neighbors again for their support. We’ll be open tomorrow for your last minute New Years gift needs and we’ll be pouring prosecco in the afternoon – so please stop by and have a toast with us!Jocelyn & Susan

We’ve been busy stocking the shelves and have tons of great new items: LP bowls from Vinylux, amazing leather jewelry from Pilon Argentina, recycled aluminum servers and bowls and more amazing candles from Austrian Atelier!

The mission of The ARTery is to inspire people to buy handmade goods, bring back a do-it-yourself culture and to be a prime outlet for local artists and free trade artisans to sell their work. The classroom in a separate room in the back of the gift shop will feature crowd-sourced classes on how to make things by hand. Local artisans from DIY Brooklyn will be teaching our first classes.

In December, on the following Sundays, from 2:30-4:30 are the following- $35 per class:

Dec. 2nd: Oatmeal Soap bar: – In this class you’ll learn how to make cold-process soap at home, just like the luxury soaps that sell for $6 a bar and more. You’ll learn how to use colors, scents and add everything from goat milk to herbs, and you will bring home a 4-oz bar you made yourself.

Dec. 9th: Massage Bar & Lip Balm- Learn to make skin soothing solid lotions, which includes lip balms and massage bars, from sexy flavors to heavenly scents like lavender coconut and cocoa almond. You’ll come away with one massage bar in a small mason jar and a tin of lip balm you made yourself.

Delve into the world of pickles and mustard making and learn the history and origins of pickles and mustard, and discuss what spices and additives add to each. You will make a jar of refrigerator pickles that crunch with crispy goodness and make a great addition to any cheese plate. You will also learn to make and take home your own signature mustard that will be a worthy addition to any hot dog.

To register for classes- each is $35, stop by the store, or pay by pay pal now: Need further info? email: brooklynartery@gmail.com

Beja walked into the store two weeks ago and offered to create a photography studio in The ARTery classroom to shoot portraits for custom holiday cards.

Then, as an aside, I hired her on the spot to shoot my daughter’s Sweet 16 party. I have to tell you, she was dependable and the photos were awesome. Better than we could have imagined! If you do a photo shoot with this professional I promise you will not be disappointed. She has a very warm personality that makes you immediately feel comfortable in front of the camera.

She may also conduct another photo shoot session next Saturday Dec. 1st. but don’t delay!

Brooklyn ARTery gift shop opened last Sunday for what we thought would be a mellow day of family and friends stopping by. We didn’t promote it anywhere, thinking we would have a nice soft opening to get our feet wet…… Yet, from open to close, the shop was packed! Our friends and family and many curious passersby paraded in all day long. We are thrilled that everyone loved the merchandise and there was something for everyone!

In the children’s’ corner, parents checked out the silk- screened baby clothes and fairy making kits, while the kids played with hand-carved wooden trucks and trains. Our home décor area is filled with hand painted tableware, lamps, cutting boards, artisanal foods and more. The big hits of the first day were the handbags by local artist Martina Nevermann, Woody Leslie’s hilarious hand bound tiny books, bags made of reclaimed tire tubes and seat belts from Columbia, and the alpaca scarves from Bolivia.

The biggest surprise for many when they first visit the space is how homey it is. You’d never know it from the outside but The ARTery is housed in one of the oldest Victorian houses in our neighborhood. It’s cozy and welcoming, with a cast iron fireplace in the center of the store. The patchwork sari chairs from India are perfect for relaxing in, or taking home with you.

Elise and Rebecca from DIY Brooklyn were there from 4-6, serving “The ARTery” a sumptuous mix of apple brandy, Prosecco and bitters. They will be the first to teach classes at the ARTery. In the spirit of our DIY mission, each Sunday between Thanksgiving and Christmas, they will be leading workshops on how to make soaps, pickles and mustard, and massage bars. All great hand-made gift ideas for the holidays! Come by and sign up for these classes before we post them. Space is limited!

Beja, a local photographer has plans to use the ARTery Studio to take family portraits for holiday cards. Stay tuned for details on that. We’re sure there will be lots of opportunities to collaborate with local artisans in different ways. We envision The ARTery as a community hub, where people of all ages can shop for handmade goods and take a class on how to make and do things by hand.

So stop by and visit Brooklyn ARTery. We will be open everyday except Monday, from 11-6pm, 7pm on weekends. Hours will vary as we anticipate the need. Address: 1020 Cortelyou, between Stratford and Coney Island Avenue.

Saturday was a perfect day for craft-making. A fun group joined us at Lark Cafe to make birds from recycled materials. A couple of families that came by to grab a snack stumbled upon the class. Lured by the colorful feathers and found objects, their boys begged to join us. The group doubled in size by the time the class ended. Time flew by and an hour later a new flock of exotic birds were ready to fly home with happy kids from the neighborhood.

Thanks to all who joined us. We’re planning more kids classes soon. Please comment below and let us know what kinds of classes you’d like to see and the days and times that would work best for your family.

Our die-hard drawing students braved the torrential downpour and tornado warnings to participate in the first ever Drink and Draw class at the Lark Cafe last Tuesday. Teacher Amy Digi was very cool and the vibe was more like friends hanging out and drawing than a drawing class. At one point, we were so giddy and chatty that the fiction writing teacher from the room next store came in to hush us. But as you can see from the photo above, it was all concentration and seriousness as we focused on getting down the curves and shapes of our model, Monica, a veteran from the Art Student League.

Half the class had never drawn from a model before. Amy showed us all how to render the form by looking at negative space and seeing shape relationships. We drew from ten 1-minute poses, two 5-minute poses, three 10- minute poses and one 15-minute pose, with breaks in between to discuss and share our work.

I’m very proud of these gesture drawings I did from the 1 minute poses!

As you can see, it really doesn’t matter if you know how to draw, it’s a great night out! And the Jever beers, imported from Germany from a local Kensington resident, helped keep us loose and happy.

So due to popular demand, (and our survey), we are planning a 6-week Drink and Draw class series. Students will need to pay in advance and reserve their space. There will be different models each week. The location will be determined.

If interested, Please send us a comment below with your name and contact information and the days and times that work best for you. We’ll get back to you when we’re ready to launch!

The weather was perfect and folks came out in droves to the Flatbush Frolic Street Fair. Hundreds stopped by to shop and buy from ARTery artisans. For our opening day, we had a wonderful variety of items ranging from delicious Malaysian Food to African influenced necklaces; silver, gold and beaded jewelry; bags, clothing, shoes, baby clothes, chairs, paintings, collages, books and journals.

Some of our artists were busy creating artwork right there in their stalls and others busy interacting with the steady flow of customers stopping by throughout the day.

The ARTery also did its part to help with the elections! The Board of Elections registered 58 people, received 83 poll worker applications and conducted demonstrations on how to use the new voting booths, which are also designed to make it easy for blind and handicapped people to vote!

Registering Voters and Poll Workers

Overall, our vendors got a chance to meet the neighborhood head on, find out what kind of things people are looking for and even get some special orders that will be fulfilled this Sunday at the ARTery Market.

Overall, we’d say it was a great success. Auria will be back with more Malaysian food, we’ll have a few new clothing and jewelry designers, and more artisanal food. So stop each Sunday on Rugby Road next to the Farmers Market. Our vendors will vary each week, so pop by and check out our goods!